A Legendary take on the Dream Team vs. 2012 USA squad...
I will post the Real Match ups as IS...
Dream Team Vs TEAM USA 2012
Pg John Stockton vs. Chris Paul
Sg 92' MJ vs. 12' Kobe
Sf 92' Bird vs. 12' Durant
Pg/Sf 92' Magic vs 12' Lebron
Pf Charles Barkley vs. Kevin Love
C Patrick Ewing vs. Tyson Chandler
Sg Clyde Drexler vs. James Harden
Sf- Chris Mullin vs. Carmelo Anthony
Sf- Scottie Pippen vs. Andre Iguadola
Pf- Christian Laettner vs. Anthony Davis(replacing Blake Griffin) this would be a very good match up IMO
Swing match ups...Karl Malone and David Robinson for the Dream Team and Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook for the 2012 Team USA squad...If we had every one healthy would likely want Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard to replace D.Will and Russell just to match up with The Mail Man and The Admiral on the inside, this is of course the WHAT IF part of the post, and you'll have to use your own imagination In that scenario...I think Howard and Griffin over Deron and Russ wouldn't be to shocking, keep Anthony Davis for the Laettner vs. Davis star college player match up...
I dont think the Dream Team would blow them out,i believe if they played this 2012 team,we mightve had some interesting battles..In fact it might go to a game 7..Both teams couldve put 4 ball handlers on the court at once,but Magic and Bird are 2 of the greatest passers and leaders this sport have ever seen..That wouldve given the Dream Team the edge..It wouldve been some interesting matchups Jordan guarding Kobe,Lebron guarding Barkley,Stockton against CP3,Durant guarding Bird and Westbrook trying to stop the 6'9 Magic Johnson..
Please remember the college team that featured Webber and Penny Hardway beat the Dream Team in a scrimmage..And this year's team wouldve blown out that college team by 20 i believe...
In the end i would have to give it to the Dream Team..
Magic, Jordan and Bird are considered the best players ever at their positions..ANd seem to have superior knowledge on the game of basketball,compared to this year's team which i think have more athletes than basketball players...Plus this year's team doesnt have a big man that could've stopped Barkley,Robinson,Malone & Ewing inside..They wouldve forced Chandler into foul trouble,besides the silly fouls he commits,he also would not have been strong enough to guard those guys inside...
I was just thinking if there was ever a team that would have a possibility to beat the 92 Dream team, and although the 2004 team sucked a$$, none of the good guys played, I was too young to remember why, but I was just thinking that if they were able to play that team would've been amazing.
A 24 year old T-Mac
27 year old MVP KG
25 year old Kobe
27 year old Tim Duncan
31 year old Shaq
28 year old Iverson
26 year old Paul Pierce
30 year old Jason Kidd
19 year old Lebron
28 year old Ray Allen
21 year old Amare(he was averaging 20 and 9 even then)
22 year old D-Wade or 19 year old Melo
Now I won't go as far to say that that team is better than the Dream Team, but that team has potentially 12 Hall of Famers, and several All-Time greats. This team could really give them a run for their money. They have Shaq KG, Timmy, and a young Griffin-like Amare in the front court, you have a young "chosen one" Lebron, Kobe, T-Mac, Iverson, Pierce, Kidd, Allen, all in their prime? That is one hell of a team, although I'm sure there would've been like a 5% chance that all of these players would've agreed to join the team.
And I now realize that Steph Marbury probably would have made it pretty easily over D-Wade or Melo, he was only 26 and was averaging 20 and 9.
1st off I'd like to say that I don't agree or disagree with Kobe's recent statement that caused this Thread and other's like it...In fact I believe the team going to London for these Olympics is not the squad that we put up against the 1992 Dream Team...That team did have a ton of Hall of Famers and guys that own current records like Jordan, Stockton and Malone...and only time will tell if any of these current guys will make it to the heights of the Dream Team's roster...
BUT for the sake of arguments...Let me break down my OPINION of this match up...
1st of all, I love Russell Westbrook and James Harden but they shouldn't be on the Roster in this match up,,,I instead replace them with a Healthy Dwight Howard and D. Wade, Howard becomes the starting Center and Chandler become the back up C, they match up well against Robinson, Ewing and Shaq...
And second, Christian Laettner and Clyde Drexler would be replaced by the 2 players that should have been on the Roster but were not due to Politics...Isiah Thomas and Shaquille O'neal , Isiah would have been part of the roster had MJ not been such a D Bag and Shaq over Laettner is a No Brainer do over...
Legendary's 2012 USA Roster
Pg- Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Lebron James(Point Forward)
Sg- Kobe Bryant and D.Wade
Sf- Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Andre Iguadola
Pf- Kevin Love and Blake Griffin
C- Dwight Howard and Tyson Chandler
Vs
The 1992 Dream Team
Pg- Isiah Thomas, John Stockton and Magic Johnson(Point Forward)
Sg- Micheal Jordan and Chris Mullin
Sf- Larry Bird and Scottie Pippen
Pf- Charles Barkley and Karl Malone
C- Patrick Ewing, David Robinson and Shaquille O'neal
I kept Iguadola on the 2012 USA team as a Scottie Pippen clone and All World Defensive specialist and play maker, just Imagine if the 76ers traded him LA a few years ago...No Chris Bosh, who could have made it over Griffin but I feel like Blake will be the Hall of Fame player putting up similar stats to Karl Malone if he stays healthy and plays 15 more years...I'd put Kevin Love in the realm of Charles Barkley IMO when his career is over if he stays healthy and plays as long as KG and Duncan, K.Love and Sir. Charles are/were both amazing low post players and phenomenal rebounders who are/were also very skilled offensive players...
Now on to the match ups...
I'll let you guys try to pick between these guys...
Pg- Isiah Thomas vs. Chris Paul...
Sg- Micheal Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant
Sf- Larry Bird vs. Kevin Durant
Pf- Charles Barkley vs. Kevin Love
C- David Robinson vs. Dwight Howard
Pg- John Stockton vs. Deron Williams
Sg/Sf- Chris Mullin vs. D. Wade
Pg/Sf- Magic Johnson vs. Lebron James
Sf- Scottie Pippen vs. Andre Iguadola
Pf- Karl Malone vs. Blake Griffin
Swing players ...Shaq and Melo, a huge boast to the this potential Dream Team, I almost replaced Melo or Iggy with Andrew Bynum just to try to match up with Shaq, stayed with Melo's scoring and rebounding